Mavs welcome reeling Jazz to Big D

Feb 23, 2011 - 4:58 PM
(Sports Network) - Earlier this month a falling out between Deron Williams and
Jerry Sloan played a big part in the Hall of Fame coach's decision to walk
away.

Now, the All-Star point guard is on his way out of Salt Lake City as the
reeling Jazz search for their first win in the post Sloan-era against the red-
hot Dallas Mavericks in north Texas tonight.

Earlier Wednesday the Jazz agreed to send Williams to the New Jersey Nets in a
three-way deal in exchange for rookie forward Derrick Favors, along with point
guard Devin Harris and two first-round draft picks. The Nets will also receive
forwards Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric from the Golden State Warriors in the
deal and send forward Troy Murphy to Oakland, while forwarding $3 million in
cash to the Jazz.

Utah has hit the skids, dropping all three games under new head coach Ty
Corbin. The Jazz have also uncharacteristically lost five in a row at home,
their longest slide since the 1981-1982 season, after a 107-100 setback to
Golden State last Wednesday.

Three Utah players eclipsed the 20-point plateau in that one: Al Jefferson
(23), Paul Millsap (22) and C.J. Miles (20). Jefferson also grabbed 11
rebounds, while Williams, in what turned out to be his last game with the
club, ended with 18 points, 11 assists and seven boards in defeat.

Raja Bell (calf), Andrei Kirilenko (ankle) and Ronnie Price (toe) all missed
that game for Utah and Kirilenko has already been ruled out for tonight's
contest. Bell and Price, however, will be game-time decisions for Utah, which
has lost 13 of 17 overall and fallen to the eighth spot in the Western
Conference playoff race.

The red-hot Mavs, meanwhile, have won 13 of 14 games since Jan. 22, the best
record in the NBA over that period and entered the All-Star break after a
112-106 win in Phoenix last Thursday. Dirk Nowitzki paced the Mavericks in
that one with 35 points.

Jason Terry and Shawn Marion added 16 and 12 points, respectively, off the
bench, while Tyson Chandler posted 12 points and as many rebounds for Dallas,
which reached the 40-win mark at the break and is only the fourth team to
achieve that feat entering All-Star weekend (San Antonio, Miami and Boston).

"We had to grind it out and they made a heckuva run there in the second half
and kept making plays," Nowitzki said.

Peja Stojakovic added 10 points and Jason Kidd dished out 12 assists.

Dallas has won both meetings with Utah this season and has also taken 15 of 18
over the Jazz in Big D.